11 Proven Tips for a Strong Blogger Outreach Campaign
There are a number of proven ways to create a strong blogger outreach campaign. Here are the main ones.
- Do your research.
Find the right blogs for your business, niche, and industry.
- Rank the blogs and bloggers in order of best fit.
Chances are you will find a wide range of blogs related to your niche. Create a spreadsheet with URL, email address, names of the bloggers and a couple of titles of posts they have written recently that resonated with you.
Then sort the spreadsheet in order of those who seem a best fit, down to those on the same topic who might be useful.
- Determine best fit by your target market.
Who is your best customer? Are they the type of person who is reading each blog you include on your list? If you’re not sure, put them down at the bottom of the list and track your results over time.
- Organize your campaign first.
Most bloggers are eager for content, and plenty of it. It can be difficult to try to do it all themselves. When you pitch to them, they might want the content right away. Therefore, organize these items before you approach them.
- The pitch
- Full story
- Image/s
- Video
- Supporting graphic/s
- Author resource box
- Special landing page for each blog campaign
- Reach out personally.
Your email should not be robotic. Include their name and proof that you’re familiar with their work. Then let them know what you can do for them. Pitch your idea and ask what you can do to help them.
- Offer your extras.
At the end of the pitch, mention that you have other content available such as images and video if they would find it useful. NEVER attach to the email because this could get the email flagged as SPAM and most likely never be seen by your intended recipient.
- Create an awesome subject line.
Think of it as the headline of your story. It should be interesting and attention grabbing. In many cases, asking a question and then answering it in your email is an effective format.
- Follow up like a pro.
If they do contact you, get back to them as soon as possible and ask if there is anything they need.
- Promote the blogger’s work.
If you are lucky enough to get media from bloggers, make the most of it by sharing it on your own networks. This helps the blogger’s work gain more exposure and will make them more willing to work with you in the future. The more blog posts that talk about you, the more of an impression about your brand is created and its reach is extended,
- Plan for the long term.
If the blog proves a good fit, think about the best ways you can continue to work together, such as guest blogging. They could be stand-alone posts, a series, or a regular column once a week or month. Ask, “How can I help you?” and see what they say. Then do your best to deliver it in order to make the most of the blogs that are the best first for your business.
- Don’t duplicate content.
Use your information on your own site, of course, but offer slightly different versions to the bloggers and for any guest blog posts you create so there are no duplicate content penalties from Google.
Use these proven tips and see how effective your blogger outreach campaign can be.
